Charging apparatus for concrete mixers and the like



1938. c. LONGENECKER ET AL 2,135,440

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR CONCRETE MIXERS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 16, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z] H/UW Chas. [.Lonye nec kel; M Chas. Ffiall,

c. l, LONGENECKER ET AL 2,135,440

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR CONCRETE MIXERS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 16, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Chas. Longenecker a Oluw. Fflall,

Nov. 1, 1938.

C. l. LONGENECKER ET AL CHARGING APPARATUS FOR CONCRETE MIXEHS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 16, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 amend {MW Chas. I Lolqgenecke Chas. E Ball,

. 1938. c. l. LONGENECKER ET AL 2,135,440

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR CONCRETE MIXERS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 16, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 w} A x m Chas. LLonyenecker; a

Chas. ELB all,

Patented Nov. 1, 1938 PATENT OFFICE. I

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR CONCRETE AND THE LIKE MIXERS cranes I. Longenecker and Charles F. Ball, Wauwatosa, W

is., assignors to Chain. Belt Company,

Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Originibapplication December 16, 1935, Serial No. 54,774. Divided and this application May 12, 1937, Serial No.

8 Claims.

The invention relates to conveying and charging apparatus for concrete mixers or agitators, and for purposes of disclosure it has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and will be herein described, in connection with a tunnel lining machine of the type disclosed and claimed in our co-pending application filed December 1935, Serial No. 54,774, entitled Apparatus for lining tunnels and similar conduits with plastic con crete mixtures, of which the present application is a division.

The mixing or agitating receptacle of the concrete mixing apparatus embodied in the tunnel lining machine of the said prior application is provided with an end charging opening through which the concrete materials are introduced into the receptacle, which .opening may have a charging hopper or chute associated with it, and the present invention has for one of its objects to provide means for conveying the materials from a more or less distant source of supply to a point adjacent the mixing receptacle, where they may be caused to discharge their contents into said hopper or chute for transfer into the mixing or agitating receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a conveying and charging means as just recited, comprising mobile vehicles provided with partitioned bodies which, upon arrival at a point adjacent the mixer, may be engaged by means associated with the latter by which the said bodies may be elevated from the vehicle chassis or truck and moved to an inclined position in co-operative relation with the hopper or chute, whereby the materials may be fed to the latter by gravity.

A still further object of the invention is to provide novel means for elevating said vehicle bodies, said means being preferably arranged to move one end of the body faster and farther than the other end so that the body may be inclined to provide the gravity discharge above mentioned. Y

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel details of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts, more fully hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like reference characters designate like parts in all the views:--

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a tunnel lining machine constructed in accordance with the disclosures of our said parent application, 55 with one of the supply vehicles being illustrated in the position it assumes immediately prior to having its body raised to discharge its contents into the supply hopper of the mixer;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevational view through the feed end of the tunnel 5 lining machine, the primary mixing or agitating receptacle thereof being partly broken away, and showing the body of the supply vehicle raised from its truck or chassis and inclined to its discharging position by the elevating and inclin- 10 ing means associated with 'the lining machine;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. but showing the immediately adjacent portion of the tunnel lining machine, with the fluid pressure motor and connections for actuating the supply-vehicle 5 raising and lowering mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the intake end of the lining machine, showing the feed chute or hopper for the mixing receptacle, and portions of the supply-vehicle elevating and lowering 2o mechanism;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevational view of the spiral cable wheel or sheave constituting an element of the vehicle body elevating and lowering mechanism, taken approximately on the plane 5 indicated by the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the wheel or sheave shown in Fig. taken approximately on the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of 30 the said figure; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of another of the cable wheels or sheaves constituting a portion of the vehicle body raising and lowering mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the said drawings, the apparatus comprises a framework l5, which may include the spaced longitudinal sills l6, transverse members ll, uprights l8 and upper longitudinal members is, all of which are, or may be, formed from channels, angles, or other suitable structural shapes. The said frame is preferably mounted upon suitable trucks 20 having flanged wheels 2! adapted to run upon tracks 22 which may be laid upon the floor of the tunnel bore. The rearward truck 20 is preferably provided with a driving motor 25 mounted upon a suitable supporting platform and provided with a sprocket 21 around which passes a chain 28 which also engages a sprocket rigid with the axle of the .truck 20.

As best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, at the other end of the framework I5 there is provided a mixing receptacle or drum 35 which ismounted for rotation upon the said frame by suitable passes rollers 30, which engage annular bands or trackways 51 carried by the drum. 'lhe exterior of the drum is provided with sprocket teeth 20 which are engaged by a sprocket chain 00 which also I about a sprocket 40 carried by the shaft H of a suitable electric or other motor 42 mounted upon the framework above the drum 55. 'lhe drum is provided with a charging opening 45 which has associated with it acharging hopper or chute 40, the said drum being also provided with a discharge opening 41 having a movable discharge chute 40 pivotally mounted as at 40 for movement into and out of the drum through the said opening whereby the mixed concrete may be transferred from the drum to the secondary mixing or conditioning receptacle, as will appear more fully below. The interior of the mixing drum 35 is provided with suitable mixing blades 50 and discharging buckets 5|, the latter of which are arranged to deposit the mixed material into the discharge chute 40 when the latter is moved to a discharging position inside the drum. The movements of said discharge chute are preferably occasioned by a power discharge mechanism 52 which is, or may be, substantially of the construction described and claimed in the prior United States patent to Samuel Shafer, Jr., No. 1,415,411, granted May 9, 1922. The said power discharge mechanism may be driven by means of the chain and sprocket drive 50 from the motor 42 which drives the mixing receptacle 25,

and may actuate the discharge chute 40 through the pitman 54 and crank arm 55 in substantially the same manner as that set forth in the said Shafer patent.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, the concrete mixture as it is discharged from the agitating receptacle 25 flows from the discharge chute 40 thereof into a conditioning and storage drum or receptacle 50 which is mounted on suitable rollers 6i and 52 for rotation about a horizontal axis which is in a somewhat higher plane than the axis of receptacle 35. Said receptacle 50 preferably has an enlarged inlet end which is provided with a plurality of charging scoops or blades 53, only one of which is; illustrated in Fig. 3, and at its discharge end the drum is provided with a plurality of discharge buckets 64. Intermediate these sets of scoops and buckets the drum may be provided with a plurality of spiral mixing blades 55 which serve to agitate and re-mix the concrete mixture within the receptacle, thereby preventing segregation of its constituents and continuously keeping it in completely mixed condition and ready for use at all times. The said storage and conditioning receptacle 60 is adapted to be rotated by means of an electric or other suitable motor 50 mounted upon the frame and which drives the said receptacle through chain and sprocket or other suitable drive 51.

The discharge end of the storage receptacle enters a stationary chest I0 which is preferably mounted upon the intake valve II of a pressure pump I2 which is adapted for the handling of plastic concrete mixtures. As here shown this pump is mounted directly below the conditioning and storage receptacle 00 and is of the type generically described and claimed in the prior U. S. patent of Jacobus C. Kooyman,'granted October 22, 1935, No. 2,017,975. The said pump may be briefly described as comprising a pressure cylinder I3 in which a piston reciprocates to draw the plastic mixture thereinto from the chest 10 through the inlet valve II and upon the pressure stroke to force the mixture out through the outlet valve 14 through the discharge conduit I5. The said pump is driven by means of a belt or chain drive Ii from an electric or other motor 11 mounted upon the frame, and the inlet valve II and outlet valve I4 are respectively actuated by the oscillatory rocker members ltand 19 respectively through the medium of valve rods indicated diagrammatically at 00 and 0| respectively.

As will be readily understood from the drawings, the mechanism thus far described is mounted upon the frame comparatively close to the ground, and in order that the concrete mixture, after it leaves the pump I2, may be deposited in the tunnel forms and more particularly in the arch portions of such forms,the discharge conduit 15 turns upwardly and is supported by a boom structure 00 which may be pivotally mounted as at 0| to the frame I5 and maintained in definite angular relation by means of the guides or braces 02. The latter may be adjustable in order that the angularity of the boom structure 00 may be varied in order to change the height of discharge of the conduit 15 within certain As above stated, it is preferred to supply the raw materials, or the pre-mixed concrete, to the mixing receptacle 35 by means of mobile vehicles such for example as those illustrated in Figs. 1

and 2. As here shown such vehicles may comprise a truck I00 having wheels IOI arranged to run upon the rails 22 and being surmounted by a frame I02 which serves as a support for the vehicle body I04, which may be provided with the trippable partitions I04 dividing it into, a

plurality of compartments. The longitudinal sill members I05 of the said body are secured to the frame I03 by means of pivoted links I06 and I0'l which serve to guide the raising and lowering movements of the body; and as will be clear from these figures the said sills at the forward end thereof are notched as at I08 for engagement with sleeves or collars I09 which are journalledupon a shaft IIO carried by arms III which are rigid with a shaft II2 journalled in suitable bearings I I3 rigidly secured to -the frame I5. The shaft II2 has rigidly secured to one end thereof a sprocket wheel H5 about which passes a sprocket chain H6 extended upwardly to and around a sprocket I I1 carried by a transverse shaft IIO journalled in suitable bearings I I0 rigidly mounted upon the end uprights I8 and upper longitudinals I9 of the frame work, as will be clear from Figs. 1, 2 and 4. This shaft IIO carries at either end a sheave or cable wheel I20 the periphery of which is grooved as at I2I to receive the cable I22. The upper end of the said cable is passed through an opening I23 formed in the rim of the wheel I 20, and is securely fastened by means of a clamping member I24 to the said wheel I20. The lower ends of the cables I22 are provided with suitable eyes or other readily attachable and detachable fastenings I25 which may be engaged with or disengaged from pins or studs I25 rigidly carried at each side of the bodies I04 of the material supply vehicles.

The parts are so constructed and arranged that as the shaft H0 is rotated the cables I22 will be wound upon the wheels I20 thereby elevating the rear end of the vehicle bodies I04 and at the same time, through the chain and sprocket drive H5, H0 and Ill between the shafts H0 and H2, the arms III will be swung through an are by reason of which the shaft IIO through the engagement of its collars or sleeves I09 with notches or recesses I08 of the body sills I will cause the forward end of the vehicle body to also be elevated, but not such a great extent as that caused by the cables I22 with respect to the rear'end of the body. In other words the body will be moved from the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2 wherein it occupies a slanted position in cooperative relation to. the charging hopper 46 of the mixing receptacle 35 so that when the discharge gate I30 of the vehicle body I04 is opened the batches of materials contained in several compartments of the said body may be successively discharged by gravity as the partitions I04 are tripped and slide directly into the hopper 45, from which they will pass into the interior of the mixing receptacle 35. After the final batch has been thus discharged, the body can be restored to its initial position upon its frame I03 through reverse movement of the shaft H8. The arms III, being rigid, not only serve to elevate the forward end of the container as they swing upwardly, but also guide thecontainer dis charge opening into accurate register with the receptacle charging opening, and thus prevent spilling of the materials during transfer.

For actuating the shaft II8 there is provided thereon a spiral bull wheel I35 best shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the periphery of which is grooved as at I 36 for-the reception of the cable I31. One end of this cable as it leaves the inner end of the spiral is gripped and rigidly secured by a clamping member I38 carried by the wheel I35 as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, while the other end of the cable after passing around sheaves I40, I, is secured as at I42 to rigid strap members I43 which support a fluid pressure cylinder I 44, see Fig. 3. A piston is reciprocable within this cylinder and is provided with a piston rod I45 having at its outer end frame I46 in which is journalled the sheave I. It results from this con-.

struction, that as fluid under pressure is admitted to the right hand end of the cylinder I44 the piston and piston rod will be forced outwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3, thereby imparting motion to the upper run of cable I31 and through it to wheel I35 and shaft II8 to produce the raising movements of the vehicle body above described. Likewise, upon ex haust of the fluid from the cylinder I44 the piston and piston rod will be permitted to move in the opposite direction whereupon the shaft I I8 will be rotated in reverse direction and the vehicle body returned to its initial position.

Upon occasion, as for example at the conclusion of a pumping operation, it is desirable or necessary to break the line I5 at the pump outlet, and in order to prevent loss of that part of the mixture which is in the inclined portion of pipe I5, and which will tend to flow backwards under the action of gravity when the line is broken, a stop valve I48 is preferably provided, which is or may be of a construction similar to that disclosed and claimed in the prior co-pending application of John C. Merwin and Rudolph F. Lindow, filed November 18, 1933, Serial No. 698,716, entitled Valve for controlling plastic concrete mixtures now Patent No. 2,102,571, dated December 14, 1937. A receptacle I50 is provided, supported by straps or angles I5I from the sills I8, which re ceptacle will receive any mixture discharged from the pump, or from line I5 when the latter is disconnected from the pump.

While one form of the invention has been illustrated and described it is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the precise arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

We claim:

1. In charging mechanism for a receptacle provided with an elevated charging opening, a mobile material container arranged to be moved over the ground to and from a point adjacent said receptacle, said container being provided with a discharge opening normally in a plane below said receptacle opening; power actuated means adjacent said receptacle readily engageable with and disengageable from said container, arranged to elevate and guide the container discharging opening to a complementary position relative to said receptacle opening; and separate power actuated means readily engageable with and disengageable from said container at a point spaced from the engagement point of said first named means, arranged to elevate and swing the con tainer about its engagement point with said first named means to tilt the container and cause gravity discharge of its contents into said receptacle opening.

2. In charging mechanism for a receptacle provided with an elevated charging opening, a mobile container arranged to be moved over the ground to and from a point adjacent said receptacle, said container being provided with a discharge opening normally in a plane below said receptacle opening; oscillatory power actuated means adjacent said receptacle arranged to automatically engage and disengage a portion of said container adjacent its opening, and to elevate and swing said container opening about the axis of oscillation to a position complementary to said receptacle opening; and separate power actuated means readily attachable to and detachable from said container, arranged to bodily elevate the container and swing it about its point of engagement with said first named means to thereby tilt the container toward the receptacle and cause gravity discharge of its contents into the receptacle opening.

3. In charging mechanism for a receptacle having a charging opening, the combination of a swinging member mounted adjacent said receptacle opening; a mobile material container arranged to be moved toward and from said receptacle, said container having a portion readily engageable with and disengageable from said swinging member at a point removed from its axis of oscillation; draft means readily engageable with and disengageable from another portion of said container; and means for separately actuating said draft means and swinging member to bodily elevate the container and swing it about its point of engagement with said swinging member to thereby tilt the container toward said receptacle and cause gravity discharge of its ccntents into the receptacle opening.

4. In charging mechanism for a concrete mixing or agitating receptacle having a charging opening, the combination of an oscillatory member adjacent said receptacle; a mobile container for concrete materials arranged to be moved toward and from said receptacle, said container having a notched portion readily pivotally engageable with and disengageable from said oscillatory member; draft means readily engageable with and disengageable from a portion of said container spaced from said notched portion; and

means for actuating said draft means and said oscillatory member at different angular velocities to bodily elevate and tilt said container toward said charging opening.

5. In charging apparatus for a concrete mixing or agitating receptacle having a charging opening, the combination of an oscillatory arm mounted adjacent said receptacle; a mobile container for concrete materials arranged to be moved toward and from said receptacle, said container having a notched portion at onebnd readilypivotally engageable with said arm as the container approaches the receptacle; a draft cable readily attachable to and detachable from said container at a point spaced from W said notched end portion; means for simultaneously actuating said cable and arm to bodily raise said container; and connections between said cable and arm iorcausing the latter to be moved at a lesser angular velocity than the former, whereby said container will be tilted as it is raised and may discharge its contents into said charging opening by gravity action.

6. In charging apparatus for a concrete mixing or agitating receptacle having a charging opening, the combination of an oscillatory arm mounted adjacent said receptacle; a mobile container for concrete materials arranged tobe moved toward and from said receptacle, said container having means readily pivotally engageable with and disengageable from said arm; a draft cable readily attachable to and detachable'trom said container at a point removed from said engaging means; a sheave upon which said cable Y may be wound; means for driving said sheave; a

driving wheel rotatable with said sheave; a driven wheel rigid with said oscillatory arm; and driving connections between said wheels whereby said arm will be oscillated as said cable is wound upon and unwound from said sheave.

7. In charging apparatus for a concrete mixing or agitating receptacle having a charging opening, the combination of an oscillatory arm mounted adjacent said receptacle; a mobile container for concrete materials arranged to be moved toward and from said receptacle, said container having means readily pivotally engageable and disengageable from said arm; a draft cable readily attachable to and detachable from said container at a point removed from said engaging means; a sheave upon which said cable may be wound; means for driving said sheave at a varying rate of speed; and speed reducing chain and sprocket connections between said sheave and oscillatory arm for moving the latter simultaneously with said draft cable but at a slower speed.

8. A charging vehicle for concrete mixers and the like, comprising a mobile frame; and a bodilymovable material container mounted on said frame for raising and lowering movements relative thereto, said container having means readily engageable with and disengageable from separate simultaneously operable elevation andtilting instrumentalities associated with the concrete mixer, there also being jack-knife connections between said container and frame arranged to guide its raising and lowering movements.

CHARLES I. LONGENECKER. CHARLES E. BALL. 

